Jeeps are Getting Expensive

[conFUcius]

Apologies if this was posted already, but the article was just suggested on my Chrome’s feed:

Some Of Jeep's Best Customers Simply Can't Afford A Jeep Anymore

The Jeep Wrangler’s average transaction price was $59,000 in September.

Jeep has been on a premium push the last few years. Products like the Grand Cherokee and Wagoneer have turned Jeep into a premium off-road brand. That upmarket push however has come at the expense of sales to some of the brands loyalist customers as Bloomberg reports.


Sales for the brand are down across the board. Data from Bloomberg shows that the brand has gone from selling 267,000 vehicles in 2018 to 181,000 as of this summer.

Overall, unit sales for the Jeep brand fell 4% in the third quarter, the ninth consecutive quarterly decline, Stellantis reported earlier this month. Sales are down 9% this year through September, with all but two models—the Compass and the Grand Cherokee—reporting lower deliveries year-over-year. That’s after Jeep sales declined 12% in 2022 and 2% in 2021.

The problem is that Jeep’s vehicles now simply cost too much. The Wrangler, for instance, has seen its prices rise 40 percent more than the industry average of 31 percent according to data from Cox. Popular trims like the Wrangler Rubicon can easily go for over $60,000 sometimes $70,000. And it’s leaving buyers out.

“Their portfolio has lost touch with the mainstream consumer, and therefore the whole Jeep portfolio is less attractive,” former product planner at Fiat Chrysler Mark Kudla told Bloomberg.

Jeep has tried to get a hold on the situation by lowering prices in a way. The brand introduced a base version of the Grand Cherokee that starts at just over $38,000 with destination. And the Wrangler’s $32,000-$36,000 starting prices are still reasonable, but good luck finding one for that at the dealer. Data from Cox Automotive shows the Wrangler’s average transaction price was $59,000 in September.

In a statement, Jeep’s North American head Jim Morrison tried to turn these negatives into a positive by saying the brand is making moves.

He left out that the Wrangler 4xe starts at over $60,000.

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[The Last Cowboy]

Believe it, it's quite the topic of conversation around here.

 

[DLW]

I agree. Considering I paid $43K for my JLUR in 2019, to replace it with a new one would cost $60K not opting for very many options.

I would not get rid of 2019 for a new one anyway, unless it was a 392, but that's not going to happen, lol.
Wanted a 2 door JLRX for the wife, but $65K, ouch.

I still have my 93' YJ though, cost $12,500 new.

 

[chevymitchell]

Apologies if this was posted already, but the article was just suggested on my Chrome’s feed:

Some Of Jeep's Best Customers Simply Can't Afford A Jeep Anymore

The Jeep Wrangler’s average transaction price was $59,000 in September.

Jeep has been on a premium push the last few years. Products like the Grand Cherokee and Wagoneer have turned Jeep into a premium off-road brand. That upmarket push however has come at the expense of sales to some of the brands loyalist customers as Bloomberg reports.


Sales for the brand are down across the board. Data from Bloomberg shows that the brand has gone from selling 267,000 vehicles in 2018 to 181,000 as of this summer.


The problem is that Jeep’s vehicles now simply cost too much. The Wrangler, for instance, has seen its prices rise 40 percent more than the industry average of 31 percent according to data from Cox. Popular trims like the Wrangler Rubicon can easily go for over $60,000 sometimes $70,000. And it’s leaving buyers out.

“Their portfolio has lost touch with the mainstream consumer, and therefore the whole Jeep portfolio is less attractive,” former product planner at Fiat Chrysler Mark Kudla told Bloomberg.

Jeep has tried to get a hold on the situation by lowering prices in a way. The brand introduced a base version of the Grand Cherokee that starts at just over $38,000 with destination. And the Wrangler’s $32,000-$36,000 starting prices are still reasonable, but good luck finding one for that at the dealer. Data from Cox Automotive shows the Wrangler’s average transaction price was $59,000 in September.

In a statement, Jeep’s North American head Jim Morrison tried to turn these negatives into a positive by saying the brand is making moves.

He left out that the Wrangler 4xe starts at over $60,000.

Makes Pain Train a bargain at $95k. Lol

Any takers?

 

[The Last Cowboy]

Just for grins, I looked up a local dealer today. 2024 Rubicon 2 door, V6 ESS. $55k, with 10% off MSRP, priced at $~50k. Tempting, but I'll pass. I'm pretty sure I could get almost what I paid for mine though, it only has 22k miles. Even then, I'd have to come up with $15k, plus tax. Nothing wrong with mine.

 

[Bayrat]

Some of this is driven by the economy, as much as it is the greed factor. Everything in this country has skyrocketed in cost the past couple of years.

 

[[DELETED USER 82058]]

Every vehicle has gotten expensive. Full size trucks with a few options are hitting $80K easy. Repair costs are through the roof. Parts are at a premium. And now, insurance is skyrocketing. And to top it off, quality is not improving at all.

 

[nmMike]

What I don’t understand about the pricing of a wrangler is what I’m getting compared to say a Chevy Colorado ZR2. A ZR2 is $52k and a Rubicon X is $62k. I’m serious, does it cost $10k more to build the wrangler which arguably has has a cheaper interior and wavy body panels …

 

[jjvincent]

You have to pay for superiority. If I was running the Jeep brand, I'd make it $80K for the average price of a Jeep Wrangler. People want the best and are willing to pay for it.

 

[Deleted member 59498]

Getting? Dude with the lease issues post 76k dollars for Wrangler 4xe.

Look at the price of the JT. MSRP it is the most expensive "midsize" pickup that I know of. 66k for a Mojave, far more than say Tacoma TRD Pro or ZR2 Colorado or the Ranger Raptor? Not sure on Raptor.

 

[Zandcwhite]

What I don’t understand about the pricing of a wrangler is what I’m getting compared to say a Chevy Colorado ZR2. A ZR2 is $52k and a Rubicon X is $62k. I’m serious, does it cost $10k more to build the wrangler which arguably has has a cheaper interior and wavy body panels …

If you're comparing it to the Rubicon X, you have to add the desert boss package so they both have beadlock capable wheels etc. And now the zr2 is $60k. Everyone's convinced Jeep is uniquely over priced, they all are. Loaded suvs and mid sized trucks are $60k+ across the board. It would be great if we didn't have record inflation over the past few years. Hell is gladly pay the inflated price for a new car if groceries weren't an extra$200/week in the last 5 years.

 

[CableDaddy]

Yeah, the price of wranglers is just wild nowadays. I bought my first jeep in ‘11 for 25k. Fast forward 12 years and I have to drop 60k for my JLURD. Going forward it will probably be the last *new* wrangler I buy. I’d just rather buy a simpler and more reliable older jeep instead. Save a metric ton of cash, and get a ton of badass upgrades instead.

Especially as it also means I won’t have to deal with some of the more ludicrous problems caused by idiots or new electronic “improvements”.

 

[Wbino]

6th Grade: Supply and demand.

 

[Powelligator]

I think it's as simple as FCA/Stellantis wanting to extract as much from the Wrangler platform as possible in the interest of quarterly profits. The Wrangler is a body on frame vehicle, been produced since the beginning of time and as a result has really high margins. Every few model years throw in a new sound system, some electronic nanny features and some leather seats, that doesn't cost much but they can (and do) charge for it and customers pay willingly. With reduced numbers of actual units sold, it makes sense for them to build more high dollar versions, to keep up those quarterly numbers.

 

[nmMike]

If you're comparing it to the Rubicon X, you have to add the desert boss package so they both have beadlock capable wheels etc. And now the zr2 is $60k. Everyone's convinced Jeep is uniquely over priced, they all are. Loaded suvs and mid sized trucks are $60k+ across the board. It would be great if we didn't have record inflation over the past few years. Hell is gladly pay the inflated price for a new car if groceries weren't an extra$200/week in the last 5 years.

The desert boss package is mainly appearance. The only functional 4x4 feature it would add are bead locks and the base rubi x doesn’t have them. You need to add the auto trans, but then the price of the rubi is just shy of $70k.

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